Action alert: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) and Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (WISE) Act

25 October 2022

Tell your Senator it is time to reauthorize FVPSA! We need urgent action to bring S. 1275 to the floor and for Senators to vote yes on passage. Contact your Senator today.

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is an essential piece of legislation that survivors rely on for safety and services. The Senate reauthorization bill, S.1275, introduced by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (D-AK), passed out of Committee in July, and it is time to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. If the bill isn’t passed this Congress, our advocacy efforts will start all over again. 

Email Message

Subject: Survivors of Domestic Violence Need You to Bring S.1275 to the Floor (FVPSA Reauthorization)

Dear {Senator},

As your constituent, I urge you to support survivors of domestic violence, family violence, and dating violence by encouraging leadership to bring the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021 (S.1275) to the floor and vote YES on the final passage. Every day, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) funds programs across the country to provide survivors with essential support, safety, and services to rebuild their lives and heal from abuse. Unfortunately, FVPSA has not been reauthorized since 2010, leaving it vulnerable to funding cuts and leaving gaps to improve survivor access to resources.

FVPSA is the only source of federal funding dedicated to supporting domestic violence programs and shelters, providing core funding to more than 1,500 domestic violence shelters and programs, supporting over 240 tribes and tribal organizations to address and prevent domestic violence, and creating a network of state coalitions and national technical assistance providers — all working to ensure vital crisis services are available to individuals experiencing domestic or dating violence as well as their children. FVPSA also provides funding for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, dedicated to providing 24/7 assistance to survivors of family, domestic, and dating violence or those trying to assist them and StrongHearts Native Helpline, a Native-specific helpline to assist Native American survivors.

This bi-partisan reauthorization bill, introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Bob Casey will increase overall funding, build prevention programs, create specialized grant programs to address issues such as culturally specific services and underserved communities, strengthen the capacity of Indian tribes, and make other enhancements to better meet survivor needs.

FVPSA is a critical, life-saving legislation that survivors rely on for safety. It’s time Congress took action to reauthorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act to include increased funding for current programs and support investments for prevention and marginalized survivors. I urge you to bring S.1275 to the floor and vote yes on the final passage.

Thank you for your continued support for survivors of domestic violence. I look forward to your response.

Esperanza United and FVPSA

Esperanza United (formerly Casa de Esperanza) is a National Resource Center and in this capacity, we provide expert insight into the Domestic Violence Resource Network (DVRN). Under this funding, we draft policy papers, webinars, training manuals, and policy alerts on topics that are important to the field of domestic violence survivors and service providers such as: how to serve Latin@ immigrant survivors, how culturally specific organizations can find federal funding, and how to meet survivors’ language access rights. Learn more via the resource: Boletín on Accessing Federal Resources to Enhance Services for Survivors from Culturally Specific Communities.

Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (WISE) Act

Here is another bill that will be introduced soon that is survivor-centered and important for the Latin@ communities. The WISE Act aims to safeguard and improve existing protections for immigrant survivors in order to help them achieve safety and justice. 

What does WISE Do?

WISE will offer immigrant survivors pathways to safety by:

  1. Lifting the U visa cap and making the U visa program more accessible.
  2. Preventing deportation or detention of immigrant survivors with pending immigration cases.
  3. Requiring issuance of work authorization within 180 days of application
  4. Limiting immigration enforcement at protected locations where survivors seek support, including victim services programs, medical facilities, and courthouses, among others.  
  5. Strengthening confidentiality protections about applicants for survivor- related immigration protections.
  6. Allowing immigrant survivors with pending cases to be eligible for critical federal public benefits, and no longer subject to the five-year bar.
  7. Moves Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) adjustment of status cases out of the employment visa category so that abused and neglected children are not subject to employment visa caps

To learn more about this bill, see the section-by-section draft. Organizations can also endorse this bill.

About Esperanza United

Esperanza United’s mission is to mobilize Latinas and Latin@ communities to end domestic violence. With nearly forty years of success, Esperanza United leverages the strengths of Latin@ communities to end gender-based violence. Founded and led by Latinas, we ground our work in listening to the community, and  adapting to meet their changing needs. We work with the community, other service providers, and systems to ensure Latinas, their families, and our communities receive culturally relevant advocacy and quality, appropriate, and effective resources

Please email any policy questions to Olivia Garcia, Ph.D., Director of Public Policy at: ogarcia@esperanzaunited.org